Four year old son throws small toys at cats

My four year old son is constantly antagonizing our two cats.  He pokes and prods them to the point that they nip at him (no broken skin, but crying from him), he disturbs them purposefully when they're sleeping and I've seen him chase the cats and throw small toys, like plastic blocks and lightweight balls at them.  His behavior doesn't seem to cause the cats harm and they will voluntarily come to him.  However, he's been told not to do this repeatedly.  He's been told that this behavior is mean and that he should be nice to the cats.  Nevertheless, I caught him throwing lego type toys at the cats again today.  I'm concerned about this behavior on more than one level, but most importantly if this type of behavior is considered "animal abuse" and, if left unresolved, means he's heading down a path toward criminal behavior in the future.  Can this be handled at home or should we seek counseling?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

You can handle this at home, particularly if otherwise he seems to be developing well. At the least sign of aggression toward the cats (or anyone/anything else for that matter) he should be placed in time out for five minutes (track the time with a timer and strat the timer only when he is seated in the time out chair and is quiet). There should be no lengthy discussion. Simply say: "No hurting the cats."